HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER AUGUST-OCTOBER, 2011 1960-2011: 51st Year www.nyhs.ca [email protected]

From the President The end of an era: since the mid-1960s, the Society has had a connection with the Gibson House Museum. In 1964, the of North York acquired the Gibson House. It was officially opened as a museum in 1971, with the support of the Society, historical interpreters, exhibits, displays and an annual festival. The Gibson House Volunteers were a sub-committee of the NYHS, and after amalgamation, they became City of volunteers. Through the years the Society has had representation on the GH Museum Board and post amalgamation, one appointee. City of Toronto museum boards have now been dissolved by Council. See page 2 for more information.

A reminder to members, the October meeting program: C. W. Jefferys: Picturing – his daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Fee (1912-2010) was the Society’s Honourary President for many years.

Congratulations to the 2011 recipients of the Volunteer Service Awards. See page 2.

Geoff Geduld

Wednesday, September 21st, 7.30 p.m. HERITAGE TREES: PRESERVING OUR NATURAL ROOTS LOCATION Edith George, past director of the Weston Historical Society & North York Central Library advisor to the Urban Forest Council. Meeting Room #1 How we can identify a tree’s historical and cultural significance? 2nd floor Using a special red oak as the example in her presentation, find 5120 out what is a heritage tree and why is it important to protect it. (at Park Home Ave) West side of atrium, Wednesday, October 19th, 7.30 p.m. use elevator outside C. W. JEFFERYS: PICTURING CANADA library. Screening of documentary film by director John Besssai. This 48 minute film is an entertaining and provocative look at one of Parking: Enter Canada’s most prolific artists who during his career captured from Park Home Avenue, the essence of Canada through his illustrations, drawings and east of Novotel Hotel paintings. TTC: North York Centre Wednesday, November 16th, 7.30 p.m. subway station BREAKING THE SILENCE: VETERANS’ UNTOLD STORIES Ted Barris, author, will talk about his experiences getting war veterans to speak about their stories from the Great War to Afghanistan. Meetings co-sponsored by the North York Historical Society and the North York Central Library, Canadiana Department

Contents: Page 2: Volunteer Service Awards, Donations, BCPV Outing, Museum Management Boards 3: Willowdale Plaque, Heritage Toronto Walk (Lawrence Park) 4: Mystery Ruins, 2011 NY Modernist Architecture Forum, Dorothy Duncan at the EYHS VOLUNTEER SERVICE AWARDS along with potential for site or topic specific Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration groups. At this time we do not have any Congratulations to information as to the Gibson House/Zion 10 years: Mary Ann Cross, Jeanne Hopkins Schoolhouse plans.

30 years: Robert & Elizabeth McQuillan 40 years: Louis & Donalda Badone DONATIONS 2011 The June 23rd issue of The Mirror, East Edition, on pages Heritage Resource Centre 1 & 6, ran a story with photographs of the Badones and Sheryl Adelkind, Bill Aird, Donald Booth, Isabel McQuillans. It will go into the Society’s Archives. Davey, Margaret Chadwick, Linda Gargaro, Chandor Gauthier, Marion Kinch, SUMMER OUTING TO Alan & Marti Latta, Robert & Elizabeth McQuillan, Betty Minaker, Penny Potter, Maggie Trott, Mary PIONEEER VILLAGE Wyatt th As part of our visit, on Saturday, June 25 , we took part in a private beer tasting and historic Plaquing Program brewery tour, in addition to our own time within Sheryl Adelkind, Margaret Chadwick, Marion Kinch, the village. For many, it was not their first visit to Alan & Marti Latta, Robert & Elizabeth McQuillan, Black Creek Pioneer Village, but for myself it was. Penny Potter, Maggie Trott

I enjoyed seeing the buildings, interpreters, and Plaque (Cummer) Gunild Spiess animals throughout the village. It reminded me of my summer job I had in high school working at Heritage Park in Calgary, Alberta which in many ways is similar to Black Creek Pioneer Village. The weather held up for the day, though it was little cooler and overcast for most of the day.

The highlight of our visit was the historic brewery and beer tasting. Interestingly, the historic brewery is Canada's only one. Our guide gave us an interesting history of beer in relation to Ontario's earlier residents. The ingredients and techniques of the ales were also described in detail. The beer made here uses the same techniques that the pioneers used. We tried three types of beer that were all very different from one another. All of the beer at the historic brewery is non-carbonated. It was a little odd at first, but I got used to it, as did other attendees. Some enjoyed the tasting so much that they bought a growler of Black Creek Ale to take home with them.

An afternoon enjoyed by all who attended, and highly recommended for those with an interest in history and beer! Teresa den Boef,Director of Programs (edited) (Photographer: T. den Boef)

MUSEUM MANAGEMENT BOARDS April 12/13, adopted the following: Chapter 103, Article 1, Sections 1, 2 & 3, of the Municipal Code, regarding the Museum Boards, be deleted to reflect the status of Museum Boards as key advisory bodies since Council approval of the 2002 Memorandum of Understanding between the -2- City and the Museum Boards, and to enable transition to an alternate engagement process as endorsed by Museum Boards. (edited) There will now be a single resource group named Toronto Museum Reference Council, WILLOWDALE PLAQUE neighbouring rural centres of Lansing (to the south) and (to the north). Illustrated Historical Atlas of York County, 1878. 200 Years Yonge (1796-1996), Connecting Communities was the theme to celebrate Caption 2: This 1914 photograph looks south across legendary Yonge Street. On the North Yonge Street to the site of this plaque. Willowdale Methodist Episcopal Church (later Willowdale United York “Yonge Street Bicentennial Planning Church) then stood next to the cemetery. As found in Committee”, Frank Whilsmith, then past Patricia Hart, Pioneering in North York, 1968. president, Betty Crossley and Gunild Spiess (members) were citizen representatives. Caption 3: Looking north from Park Home Avenue up the west side of Yonge Street in 1897. A general store Council representatives were Joanne Flint (at left) then contained the post office, and served as and John Filion. The four Yonge Street blue a central hub for both supplies and news for the rural commemorative signs (, Lansing, community. The 1892 Willowdale School, S.S. #4, Willowdale and Newtonbrook) were stands further up the street. North York Historical Society installed that year.

HERITAGE TORONTO WALKS The late Betty Crossley expressed concern www.heritagetoronto.org about the condition of the Willowdale plaque (located in the Willowdale Pioneer The walks continue to Sep. 25th. There’s a local Cemetery at Yonge & Church) to Councillor one on Sat. Sep. 10th at 10.30 a.m. John Filion, Ward 23, at a public meeting LAWRENCE PARK: A GARDEN SUBURB some time ago. The councillor struck a Explore part of Lawrence Park, a residential committee, NYHS was invited, Betty and neighbourhood that dates to 1907, when Wilfrid Gunild were the representatives. The Servington Dinnick, the young, English-born replacement plaque, includes a map and president of a Toronto loan and mortgage two photographs, will be unveiled this fall. company, purchased two farm properties near Below is the text and captions: Yonge and Lawrence. His intention was to create a garden suburb – one of the first in Canada – for the city’s middle class. Willlowdale This graveyard is a rare remnant of the Meet at Lawrence Park, near SE corner of time when Willowdale was a small Lawrence Ave E and St. Edmund’s Dr. at William agricultural community centred around this McDougall Heritage Plaque. Finish at George H. stretch of Yonge Street. Aboriginal peoples Locke Memorial Branch, TPL, 3083 Yonge St., at hunted, fished, and camped on this land for Lawrence Ave E. Approx. one and a half hours. thousands of years before European Leaders: Barbara Myrvold, Toronto Public settlement began in the late 1790s. The Library and Lynda Moon, area then became known as "Cummer's Historical Society. Settlement" after the pioneering family of Jacob Cummer (Kummer). The name ADDITION At the conclusion of the tour, Join "Willowdale" appeared after the opening of the TPL for the presentation of a Heritage the area's first post office, named "Willow Toronto Plaque celebrating the George H. Locke Dale", in 1855. Memorial Branch library.

Largely unchanged until the early 20th PLAQUE UNVEILING – information will be century, Willowdale then began to expand emailed and posted on www.nyhs.ca. with the development of new residential streets, first stretching out on either side of Yonge Street. In 1923, it became the site of the new offices of the Township of North York. Beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, residential development rapidly replaced the earlier farmsteads as widened roads and new expressways provided better access from North York to the City of Toronto.

Caption 1: This 1878 map shows Willowdale as a post office (PO), school (SCH), and Methodist Episcopal Church (ME) along Yonge Street – all serving local farm families. Farm orchards are indicated as rectangular clusters of small dots. The name -3- “Willowdale” eventually grew to encompass the THE CASE OF THE MYSTERY RAVINE moved in 1986 and is now an upscale RUINS restaurant. …a Duncan Family Legacy? Lot 12:1813, land owned by Alexander Montgomery and in 1820 by the Hunter The NYHS had been contacted about these family. Around 1840 a farmhouse is built ruins a few times. Late spring, John by the Hunters. In 1962, Alf Anderson Chipman, a CBC Radio producer, asked builds “Green Acres” farmhouse on the about them, and we began to try and same site as the old 1840 house, which solve the mystery. Clarice Dale, a new was destroyed by fire the previous year. member, agreed to take on the task. John Possible explanation for the ruins: farm Chipman brought the story to Metro buildings, remnants of a sawmill, Morning, CBC Radio #1, on May 31st machinery shed and pumping station. talking to Clarice and Edith Geduld (Geoff Geduld was also there) at the site. Since the broadcast, we have had a couple of emails but the mystery has not been solved. (Upper photograph – upper)

The municipal address is 250 Duncan Mills Rd, Ward 34 (w. of Rd & n. of York Mills Rd). There are two buildings, both next to the . Building #1 has a missing roof. (lower photograph) It is westerly of the two and closest to the river. Building #2 resembles a tomb, and is located about 75m to the east of #1. The site is at the boundary between two parcels of property: Township of Concession 3, Lot 11 and Lot 12.

Lot 11: Moatfield Property: 1827, William Duncan arrives in Canada from Ireland and purchases property, at what is now Sheppard and Dufferin. 1837 David Duncan is born. 1848, William Duncan buys 200 acres from William Bishop. The property is located on the north side of present day York Mills Rd between Leslie Above material extracted from Clarice St and Woodbine Ave. This property is Dales’ research findings. Contacts and intended for David. Around 1865, research sources are included in the Moatfield House is constructed in classic illustrated report on www.nyhs.ca Farmhouse Gothic. In 1873, David (photographer: Geoff Geduld) marries Anne Laird, and is given the farm as a wedding gift. He soon transforms it 2011 NORTH YORK MODERNIST into a successful dairy operation. They ARCHITECTURE FORUM raised two sons and one daughter at Suburbia: Heritage of the Everyday Moatfield. Brother Henry resides at the At the North , Thurs. adjacent plot to the south, giving the area Nov. 3rd, 7.00-9.00 p.m. the name of “Duncan’s Corners”. AT HISTORICAL SOCIETY In 1878, homes and mills up and down John S. Ridout Aditorium, S. Walter the river are destroyed in a historic flood. Stewart Branch, Memorial Park Ave/ 1905, Duncan Station is erected on the Durant Ave. Tues. Sep. 27th, 7.30 p.m. property of Henry, on the south side of Topic: The Heritage of Foods York Mills Rd by the Canadian Northern Speaker: Dorothy Duncan Railway. Name later changed to Oriole, and the station was moved to the north North York Historical Society is an affiliate of the Ontario Historical Society side of York Mills Rd. The farmhouse was and is a non-profit organization sponsored in part by the Ministry of Culture